Ask any Brit and they will most certainly know when
the first started disliking That Woman.
For me it was 1971 when in her first Cabinet job as Education Secretary
she cut out free milk to school kids to save a few pounds and earned herself
the moniker 'Milk Snatcher' which still sticks to her today. So I went into this
movie hating the woman but wanting to love this version of her story, and I was
not disappointed.
Filmmaker Phyllida Lloyd’s movie from a script by Abi
Morgan is no hagiography. It starts, and
mainly focuses, on the ex Prime Minister in her dotage coping with the senility
and/or Alzheimers, trying to simply get through her daily life comforted by the
visitations from her dead husband Denis.
It is a compelling image, seeing someone who was once the most powerful
female leader in the World now in such a debilitated state.
In a series of flashbacks the movie shows a young Margaret
Roberts starting out from her humble beginnings as a Grocer’s daughter and against
all odds becoming an MP for of one of the most chauvinist political parties. Surrounded
by wealthy men from privileged backgrounds who assumed power was their
birthright, she not only broke through the ranks, but also beat the lot of them
at their own game to become their Leader and then Prime Minister.
The story was highly edited and included only a few
of the landmarks of her career and life, and even when touching on some of her more
contentious actions, it did so without comment or bias. Significantly one of the most telling scenes
was a close up of Thatcher taking control in the Falkland war, as this was a
major turning point in her career. Prior to this she was so hated that her
approval ratings where the lowest ever for any serving Prime Minister, in the
UK and after her gung ho ordering the sinking of the Argentinian Warship
Belgrano (even though it was sailing AWAY from the Falklands), she became the
nation’s darling again. For a time
anyway.
The movie’s success however is less to do with what
parts of Thatcher’s life it covered but by the superlative performance of Meryl
Streep. This was no mere clever
impersonation as Ms. Streep captured the very essence of the woman not just in
her mannerisms and that voice but especially in her chilling icy stare. It was
a sheer joy watching her totally inhabit her whole persona even though I can still
feel nothing but disdain for the woman who did so much irreparable damage to
the whole structure of our society.
Aside from Ms. Streep’s performance, this is not the
definitive portrayal of Thatcher, and I don’t think it should be even judged as
a pretender to that claim. The movie
doesn’t pander to either those of us who still hate her, or those that still
think she was holier than Mother Theresa.
It does however give one distinct viewpoint of how this infamous woman
who grabbed the reins of power too tightly, lost the plot, and wouldn’t let go
so the reins were snatched out of her hands, and she never recovered any
equilibrium.
Ms Lloyd is a celebrated Opera Director and that shows some times especially in the over-the-top dramatic way she handles Thatcher's final exit from Downing Street which is almost as camp as a scene from Ms LLoyd's other claim to fame viz Mamma Mia the movie!
Ms Lloyd is a celebrated Opera Director and that shows some times especially in the over-the-top dramatic way she handles Thatcher's final exit from Downing Street which is almost as camp as a scene from Ms LLoyd's other claim to fame viz Mamma Mia the movie!
Aside from that it’s a tough movie for non-Brits to sit through
because the quick glances of say the Poll Tax Riots simply do not send the same
shudder down one’s back as it does automatically for us. And there are all those in other countries whose lives and
livelihoods were not ruined by her, still regard her as a Saint. Especially in the USA. But at least this fine film did get
made. Can you ever imagine if anyone was
brave enough to propose a similar movie about Reagan! OMG!
Unmissable.
Love the performance and hate the woman.
★★★★★★★★★
★★★★★★★★★
